So we were driving along, heading towards Roosta, away from the mind boggling retro-futurism of Tallinn towards the more laid bac and peaceful Roosta, on the West Coast of Estonia, looking out over the Baltic.
The roads are less than perfect and within just a few moments of leaving Tallinn we find ourselves being bounced from one side to the other, though we would expect nothing less, and would have probably been dissapointed had the roads been perfect, for there is no adventure in that – admittedly there are no bruises or repetitive strain injury, but it was worth it.
The speed limit suddenly dropped from national to 50kph and, hiding around a corner was a large and imposing monastry.
It was amazing to be able to just wonder around, no having to buy tickets, no “do not walk here” signs (with the exception of a few underneath some scaffolding). But we were really able to explore, away fro the busy tourist signs informing you of the history and the damn ear phone things that include delight background music to enhance your experience.
No, we were able to just walk around and explore – see each room, take in the massive arched hall, venture down spiral staircases – some went into rooms deep underneath and others went nowhere, the stairs having long since crumbled or the roof having collapsed in.
To see a historic monument in this way is incredible and should be done more often, I will go off now and read the history of the monastry, for it has sparked interest – yet whilst I was there I was able to take in the incredible fact that this building was still standing, and constructed so beautifully without having any distractions.
A national monument, hidden on a road to the coast – an explorers’ paradise.
